Grading and ditching machine



June 23, 1931. BEATTY 1,811,662

GRADING AND DITCHING MACHINE Filed 001;. 5, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet l alitozneq June 23, 1931. BEATTY 1,811,662

GRADING AND DITCHING MAcHINE Filed 'Oct. 5, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 attozwaq June 23. 193i I D. L. BEATTY 1,6

GRADING AND DITCHING MACHINE Filed Oct. 5, 1927 4 Shets-Sheet I 3 Gum/mag u 1931 D. L. BEATTY 1,811,662

GRADING AND DITCHING MACHINE Filed Oct. 5, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 D. Beaiziy alitozmq ,20 .or the like.

Another object of the invention is to pro- Patented June 23, 1931 UNITED STATES PATFEN'ITQOFFICE DWIGHT L/BEATTY, 035 MISSOULA, MONTANA GRADING AND .DITCHING MACHINE Application filed October 5, 1927. Serial No. 224,260.

conditions, such as where roots, rocks and the'like abound, as under other conditions where nosuch difficulties exist. 1 Another object of the invention is to pro- ..15 vide a machine of this character which is reversible so that material may be graded or scraped away either tothe right or to the left, depending upon the slope where it is desired to build a trail road, ditch,,fire-line videna machine of this character which may a be easily disassembled and packed for trans- V portation, especially on the back of a horse,

" mule or other pack animal, it being highly desirable that the machine-be readily portable so as tobe well adapted for employment iu'the forestry service or in other branches of industry, where itis necessary to make quick 130 jumps in rough country.

Astill further object isto provide a device ofthis character provided with ad ustable means whereby the depth of cut may be regulated depending upon the nature of the soll worked upon, the number of roots, rocks or other obstructions to be encountered, or other conditions'which may exist, p Yet another object is to provide a grading machine of this type which is provided with handle means whereby it may be manually controlled or steered by an operator walking behind it, the device being drawn along by a 1 draft animal, tractor or the like, depending upon circumstances, or the device being actu- ..45 ally pushed by the workman, these various details being considered immaterial. I

= An additional object is to provide a .ma--

..chine of this character which-will be comparatively simple and inexpensive in manu facture, easy to aSsembIeand-ad ust, posit ve in action, eflicient and durable in service, and

a general improvement in the art.

With the above and other objects andadvantages in view, the invention preferably consists in the details of construction and the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully 7 described, and

claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which V Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine. Figure 2 is a. top plan view.

1 Figure 3 is a plan view with the machine turned over so as to grade or move the excavated or scrapedearth in the opposite direction. a V a Figure 4: is a verticalcross sectional view taken on the line H of Figure 2. v

Figure 5 is a detail longitudinal section taken substantially on the line 55 of Fig- --ure 2.

Figure 6 is a vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 6-6 ofFigure 2.

Figure 7 is an inside elevation of one of the main members of the machine. V

Figure 8 is a similar view looking at the inside of the other main member or mold board.

Figure 9 is, a perspective view of one of the pivotally connected supporting members.

Figure 10 is a similar View of the other of said members. I

Figure 11 is a. fragmentary sideelevation showing the scraping members in p1ace,and

; Figure 12 is a fragmentary plan view. :Referring more particularly to the drawings, I have shown the device as comprising 1 a land side and a mold board designated respectively and generally by the numerals 1 adjustably connected and provided with handle means to bedescribed. The land side 1 comprises-an elongated plane or fiat steel plate 3 which is preferably rectangular in shape and which has suitably secured upon itsinnerside atsubstantially its longitudinal center a reinforcing member at here disclosed as a T-beam. .Also secured upon the inner face 'of the plate 3v are upper andlower bracketmembersh of angular formation and preferably constructed" as castings, each bracket member having sockets 6 and 7 therein for a purpose to be described. Suitably secured upon the forward end of the plate 3, as for instance by means oi bolts 8 is a plate member 9 formed at its rear edge with vertically alined apertured cars 10 and also provided at its rear corners with key-hole slots The mold board 2 is shown as comprising a main central plate member 12 which is serpentine in cross section and of such form that its central and edge portions are concave-convex in cross section. Riveted or otherwise suitably secured to the upper and lower edge portions of this member 12 are blades 13 which, together with the member 12 are preferably so formed at their forward ends as to be of crescent shape or concaved as clearly indicated in Figure 1. Clearly, in case of wear, the blades 13 may be removed and replaced by the new ones or may be simply taken oil and sharpened or, possibly, sharpened without being removed from the machine. Suitably secured to the forward end portion of the member 12 is a hinge member 14 having lugs 15 thereon from which rise pintles 16 engaged within the apertured cars 10. If desired, the aperture in one car 10 may be of key-hole shape and the lower pintle member 16 may have a keyshaped head 17 thereon, the arrangement being such that in a certain position of the members 9 and 14, withdrawal of the pintles 16 may be effected whereas in other positions, such withdrawal would be impossible. By means of this particular connection it will be observed that the mold board is pivoted for lateral movement with respect to the land side and is capable of being readily detached therefrom whenever it is desired to disassemble the machine.

At its forward end the land side member 1 is provided with a removable cutter point or blade 18 which is of course sharpened so as to facilitate its passage through the ground and to enable it to cut through roots or the like which may obstruct passage of the machine along its path. Instead of employing this cutter as disclosed in Figures 1, 2 and 3, I may provide a share indicated at 19 in Figures 11 and 12, this share including a main or body portion 20 and laterally extending wings 21 at its upper and lower ends, the wings being preferably braced by the elements indicated at 22. It is of course clear that the construction of this share or point must be such that it may be readily removed for sharpening purposes or for replacement when it becomes broken or excessively worn.

Suitably secured upon the inner side of the mold board 2 are angular brackets 23 with which are pivot-ally connected, at 24;, the ends of bars 25 which converge and which have their other ends engaged upon 0 posite sides of the horizontal web or rib of t e angle bar 4, a pivot bolt 26 passing through the ends of these arms and through the rib or web as thoroughly indicated 1n Figure 4. The bars 25 are shown as held in the proper relation by means of a spacing sleeve 27 disposed between them and containing a bolt 28 which passes through the arms or bars 25 as clearly indicated in Figure 4. The horizontal flange or web of the angle bar 1 is shown as provided with a series of holes 29 through a selected one of which may be inserted a bolt or pin 26 depending upon the desired angular position of the mold board with respect to the land side.

An additional means for maintaining the mold board in its proper relation to the land side is shown as comprising a bar 30 having one end provided with an angular head 31 engaged through a key-hole slot 32 in the plate 3 and through the proper one of the key-hole slots 11 in the member 9. Attention is directed to the fact that the key-hole slots 32 and 11 register and are provided near both edges of the plate 3 and member 9 for a reason to be described. Pivotally connected with the bar 30, as by a pin or the like 33 is a clevis 34 provided on one end with a curved arm 35 which arches up over the mold board and which has its other or free end removably engaged within a socket member 36. The bar 30 is represented as provided throughout its length with a plurality of holes 37 within a selected one of which may be engaged the pivot pin or bolt 33 for adjusting purposes. Any suitable draft device, not shown, may be attached to the arm 30 so that the device may be drawn along the ground though it is conceivable that a hitch of suitable character may be provided at any other desired point.

In order that the device may be properly steered as it is drawn along, I provide a pair of handles 38 and 39, the former being located preferably in the same plane as the land side 1 and the latter being arranged at an angle thereto as clearly indicated in Figure 2. The handle members 38 and 39 have shank portions 10 and 41 respectively engaged within the sockets 6 and 7 respectively.

In order that the height of the rear end of the device may be regulated so as to control the depth to which the front end will cut or bite,- I provide control means or adjusting means here shown as comprising plates 12 pivoted at 13 upon the rear portion of the fact that themachine is the same at the top tarmac or inverted and arranged as in Figure 3 for throwing the dirt in the other direction, the

only change necessary in the arrangement of parts to elfect this reversal being that the handle members must be removed from their sockets and reengaged therein from the opposite side and that the arm 35 and bar 30 must be changed from one side to the other in a manner which will be readily apparent owing to the provision of the two sets of key-hole slots 32 and lugs.

In the operation of the machine, it'will of course be apparent that when it is drawn along the ground by horse power, tractor power or simply pushed by an operator, the blade at the forward end thereof will operate to dig or cut into the soil and through roots or the like. Furthermore, this blade will act to dislodge stones or rocks or any other obstructions so that as the machine is moved along the mold board 2 will act to throw this loosened material to one side or the other, depending upon the position of the machine and the slope of the ground in case the machine is used upon a hill side.

From the foregoing description and a study 7 of the drawings, it will be apparent that I have thusprovided a simply constructed, inexpensive and easily operated machine for cutting trails, ditchesand the like upon level or sloping ground and for forming fire lines, a device embodying all the necessary features of adjustment, and being, moreover, so constructed and arranged as to be readily disassembled for transportation upon the back of a pack animal or the like. It is really believed that the construction, operation and advantages will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art without further explanation.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it should of course be understood that I reserve the right to make all such changes in the details of construction and the arrangement and combination of parts as will not depart from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims' Having thus described the invention, I claim V 1. In a machine of the character described,

, a land side including an elongated plate member having a removable cutter thereon,

a mold board pivotally connected with the land side, socket members carried by the land 1 side, handles having shank portions removably engaged within said sockets from either side thereof,'the mold board and land side i either slde thereof and diverging rearwardly.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

DWIGHT L. BEATTY.

being invertible together, a laterally extending apertured bar member carried by the land side and detachably connected therewith, and

an arm detachably and pivotally connected with said aperturedbar member and detachably connected with the mold board, said arm 

